Our Southern Kaduna Peace Effort Was Blocked —SOKAPU

The Southern Kaduna Peoples’ United Associations (SOKAPU) has said its attempt to formally declare readiness for reconciliation and dialogue over the protracted leadership crisis in Southern Kaduna was aborted after its National President, Engr. Samuel Tabara Kato, was allegedly prevented from delivering his address at a stakeholders’ meeting.

In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Saturday, Kato released the text of the speech he said he had intended to present at a meeting convened by the Southern Kaduna Elders Consultative Forum (SKECF) at Throneroom Trust Ministry, Kafanchan, on July 2, 2026.

According to Kato, the intervention of the elders, led by the Chairman of SKECF, retired Gen. Zamani Lekwot, presented a fresh opportunity to resolve the lingering disagreements involving SOKAPU, the Southern Kaduna Leadership Council (SKLC), the Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Association (SKCLA), the Southern Kaduna Community Development Associations Forum (SOKACDA), and the organisers of the Southern Kaduna Festival (SKFEST).

He said although the disputes revolved around organisational mandates, logo representation and the hosting of SKFEST, the issues should not be allowed to undermine the unity and collective aspirations of the Southern Kaduna people.

Kato stated that SOKAPU was prepared to “bury the hatchet” and engage all aggrieved groups in sincere discussions aimed at rebuilding trust and establishing clear operational boundaries.

“On behalf of SOKAPU, I declare our absolute readiness to bury the hatchet. We are willing to explore an amicable, out-of-court settlement of all pending legal matters and sit at a round table with SKFEST, the CDAs Forum and all aggrieved bodies for the benefit of our grassroots communities,” he said.

The SOKAPU president, however, defended his earlier decision to revoke a previous peace agreement, alleging that it had been entered into in bad faith and was designed to weaken the association by replacing it with the SKFEST Initiative.

He argued that implementing the agreement would have plunged SOKAPU into a constitutional crisis and rendered it ineffective, maintaining that his actions were taken to protect the organisation’s integrity.

Kato further maintained that SOKAPU remains the legitimate umbrella body of the Southern Kaduna people, insisting that SKFEST was originally conceived as a SOKAPU project and should operate under the association’s platform.

He also described SOKACDA as a duplicate organisation subordinate to SOKAPU and argued that the Southern Kaduna Leadership Council should remain a complementary advisory body rather than exercise executive authority.

Calling for restraint, Kato urged members of all Southern Kaduna organisations to avoid inflammatory public statements capable of worsening divisions, stressing that unity remained essential to tackling the region’s security and development challenges.

He commended the Southern Kaduna Elders Consultative Forum, traditional rulers and Christian leaders for their efforts to restore peace and expressed optimism that genuine dialogue could still produce lasting reconciliation.

“Our region is passing through a critical juncture. These divisions only serve to weaken our collective voice and expose our communities to vulnerabilities we can ill-afford,” he stated.

The address was not delivered at the July 2 meeting after, according to SOKAPU, the peace overture was aborted before Kato could present his remarks.